Half Day Café probably won’t change your life but it might be a nice breakfast or brunch diversion. I will be honest with you, while I have been to Half Day Café many times throughout the years, it rarely hits my radar when people ask me for brunch recommendations. The main stumbling block I have is the fact that they are only open 7-2 Monday through Saturday. Anybody who is anybody knows that the most important day for brunch is Sunday!

Located on the southeast corner of Springfield Pike and Wyoming Avenue in the heart of the picturesque near northside Cincinnati suburb of Wyoming, Half Day may not be located in a trendy neighborhood or a culinary mecca, but they have carved out a solid breakfast and lunch niche. I have never been when there wasn’t a healthy crowd packing the quaint and sunny corner location. The staff is always exceedingly friendly and prompt and the restaurant itself is always immaculate. I mean, serve your baby food that dropped on the floor, immaculate. There is no doubt that there is a lot to like at Half Day Café.

However, I just don’t love the food. Ten years ago when the best brunch in the city was First Watch, Half Day would have made my top five in a heartbeat. But, with Cincinnati’s recent rise to national prominence on the food and restaurant scene, I feel like they need to step up their game if they would like to compete with the big boys. (Maybe they don’t want to. I don’t know. I will have to give it to them that things seem to be going quite well for them just as they are.)

Last week when I ate at Half Day, my visit measured up in every way to each previous experience that I have had there. The restaurant was spotless, the staff was astonishingly friendly and the food was OK. Just OK. I ordered a fairly basic “Two of Everything”, two pancakes, two sausage patties, two eggs and brunch potatoes. The over medium well eggs that I ordered were served perfectly round, almost mathematically perfect, if you will. The pancakes were picture perfect as well, however both the eggs and the pancakes were completely devoid of any seasoning or character whatsoever. The brunch potatoes, slightly seasoned with rosemary were better, but nothing to write home about. I did love the sage seasoned sausage though. It was not at all rubbery or institutional tasting like so many restaurant sausage patties can be.

Perhaps my quibbles with Half Day lie in the menu items that I usually order. Maybe if I ventured a little outside of my comfort zone I might discover the magic that keeps the crowds coming back. If it is indeed magic that reels them in, Half Day Café has definitely perfected the spell.